Page 20 of Royal Bastard

9

Henry

I stared up at the ceiling, the delicate sparkles of projected constellations keeping my brain quiet, but not for long. Evie filled my thoughts, as always. I didn’t want her to leave the firm. I wanted to know I’d see her every single day, whether it was in my home, hers, or at the office.

I was greedy for her, and when she went to another job, I’d see her less. I knew it made sense for her to go somewhere else, but I wasn’t ready to let go of what we had. I was afraid she’d back out. She’d grown in the two months she’d been at the firm, since we’d started our relationship, but I could still see the frightened rabbit hiding behind her eyes.

I’d lived my life as a solitary figure. Sex was a function that I needed, but not one that moved me to emotion. Love couldn’t hurt me the way it had hurt my mother, and by extension, I couldn’t hurt someone who didn’t love me. I was confused now. One of us could get hurt. I’d seen the love in her eyes and it made her even more vulnerable.

I’d call the program director tomorrow and have them find her somewhere nice, and maybe close. I grinned at my own selfishness. I’d never felt like this about a woman before. It was new to me, and I wanted to keep her close. It wasn’t about control, it was more about my own fear. Did that make me the same as her husband?

I turned on some music as I pondered it, not surprised to hear Sade singing about her unordinary love. Her silky-smooth voice filled my bedroom and it reminded me how I felt about Evie. Aaron had wanted to own Evie, to make her pay for his own stupidity. He’d caught her in a trap far more than she’d trapped him, but the man was too stupid to see it. I didn’t want that from Evie.

I wanted her love, her devotion, and to give the same thing to her. I wanted an extraordinary love. I wanted far more from Evie than the guilty submission Aaron had extracted from her. I wanted to see her smile, I wanted her to be happy. To be nourished by our love, by my presence, the way I was by hers.

That was vastly different from her ex-husband. With a final twist to hit replay on the song I’d never admit to anyone I loved, I relaxed into my pillows and let my thoughts go. I could do this, I could have a real relationship. I could bring her happiness. Not make her happy, bring her happiness. She was Evie, I didn’t want to make her do anything. I wanted to give.

* * *

I might haveto kill her new boss. I stared at her tear-stained face and had to work hard not to leave the office to hunt down the man who’d put her in tears.

“What did he do exactly, Evie?” I watched her, and I didn’t want her to look me in the eyes for a change. I didn’t want her to see the savage that lived within me reflected back.

“He told me if I didn’t agree to go out to dinner with him he’d have me kicked out of the program. He said he had the power to do it, and I was just some scum that nobody cared about anyway.”

“You know that’s not true or you wouldn’t be in that chair, Evie.” Please don’t let her look up. Please don’t let her see this hate I can feel in my eyes.

“I know, but what can I do?” I glanced away quickly as she looked up, those precious green eyes flooded and rimmed in red.

“I’ll deal with him, Evie. That’s what you can do. You can let me deal with him.” I’d have him kicked out of the program in an instant, just as soon as I got Evie calm and out of the office. I didn’t want her to hear any of this.

“Why don’t you go back to my place? Run a bath, and soak in that huge tub of mine for a while. I’ll stop at the grocery store on my way home, then I’ll cook something nice for us. We can talk about it more, if you’d like?”

“No, I think you’re right. I just want to get out of anything that looks like an office right now. I keep remembering his face.” She shuddered, and I feared for my teeth as I ground my jaw to stop myself from the stupidity that filled my head. I’d pound his face at some point. Right now, I had to make sure he didn’t do this to Evie again, or to anybody else in the program. In fact, I wanted to know if he’d done this with the previous trainee.

“You have your key, right?” I’d given her the key two months ago when she’d stopped work at my office and gone to this new place. I’d hated every minute of her departure, but we could be far more open about our relationship now.

“Yeah, I have it, baby.” She came around the desk to kiss me and I kissed her back.

“Do you want me to come with you? I can make these calls later…?” I offered and watched her face.

“No, I think some time to wash it all away is just what I need. I’ll be alright. He only frightened me, he didn’t actually touch me.” Another shudder told me he didn’t have to. Travis Abrams was going to wish he’d never tried to throw his weight around with Evie.

It was easy enough to break a man’s face, his legs, but his life? That’s what I was about to do to the man, and it was so much more pleasurable than the feel of breaking his bones. I went around the desk, held her in my arms for a moment, and brushed the red streaks on her face. The tracks from her salty tears. Oh yes, the man was about to pay dearly for these.

“I’ll see you soon baby. I won’t be long at all, okay?” I kissed her cheeks and gave her a smile of reassurance.

“I love you, Henry.” I felt my breath catch in my chest. She rarely said it, and each time felt like the first time.

“I love you, Evie. Do you want me to call you a taxi?” I couldn’t stop the urge to cater to her needs. She’d been through hell today.

“I’ll get one downstairs. Thank you. Don’t do anything stupid, please?” Her eyes told me she wasn’t certain I’d listen to her.

“I would never do anything that would put our relationship in jeopardy, princess. Now go on, go take care of yourself until I’m there to do it for you.” I kissed her lips softly and gently pushed her away.

I waited for her to disappear behind the elevator doors before I called out to Alan.

“I need you to get Tiffany Jones and Brian Williams on a conference call, Alana. Now.” I looked at the chair where Evie had sat and let the full power of my anger free.